Home How to stay focused working from home
NEARLY a year into the reality of stay-at-home orders, we are all getting used to the restricted ways of getting business done.
However, many of us are still struggling to find the focus we need to be productive and the best ways to sustain our business.
It is a time in which either we make it or break it.
If success depends on doing the right things, we need to direct our attention to focus on the right things so that we can improve ourselves and our business.
Not all the things we do are of equal importance or equally productive and we need to set priorities.
Our attention can be easily distracted by what is going on around us and more so by our own habits.
It is important that we maintain control of where our attention is diverted and recognize that when it is being stolen either by external distractions or internal errant thoughts, rumination, or anxiety, or just simply by our own habits.
Habits are the things we always do. Some people have the habit of spending long hours on virtual games on their computer or mobile phone, for others it’s taking long coffee breaks a few times a day.
The more you become aware of your own distractions, the easier it will be to manage them. The first step to change your habit is awareness because you cannot change a habit that you do not realize you have.
Knowing what is distracting you and what is taking your attention away, you can take steps to redirect your attention to things or action that is productive. For example, how can you manage to focus your attention to work in a house full of people who need you?
If you have older children at home, you can put up a sign, close a door, or provide some other signals when you cannot be disturbed (unless in emergencies) as you would do in your office. A whiteboard is helpful so that the kids can let you know what they need when you are ready for a break.
If you have younger children to take care of and if there is another adult in your house, you can work in shifts where one is primarily responsible for the children for an hour or two while the other can be uninterrupted to do some work, and then switch over. Otherwise, you need to arrange alternative ways to have your children looked after so that you can focus your attention on your work productively.
To maintain a high level of productivity, you need to manage your attention. You need to bring back your focus when your mind starts to wonder from concentrating on your work. Planning is important. You can give yourselves some targets to help you focus.
If you are having trouble starting the article you need to write, you can decide that as soon as you have identified the three points of the article and drafted the introduction, then you can take the dog for a walk.
Trying to put all personal thoughts out of your head when working from home takes up a huge amount of energy and discipline. Instead, tie those personal tasks to important work activities so your days can be productive both personally and professionally, and you will end the workday feeling more refreshed and energized because you took appropriate breaks throughout the day.
A global pandemic makes it easy for us to ruminate in thoughts of despair. The truth is, we can never know what will happen in the future, but allowing our thoughts to land and stay on worst-case scenarios is not helpful.
Instead, the combination of thoughtful planning, capitalizing on opportunities to take action, and an intentional focus on the good things that can come out of difficult situations, will help to dampen our fear and help us all maintain our optimism.
Because we tend to fall prey to distractions easily, we need determination and discipline to focus our attention to do productive work, whether we work from home or in the office. Unfortunately, many of us are not able to focus our attention on the right things. WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter are great communication tools, but they are often used for socialising which has nothing to do with work and become great distractions at work.
You need a strong mental discipline when working from home. Working from home is not an off day. You draw the same remuneration as you would working in the office. Your employers will be very happy to reduce your salary every day you work from home to compensate the amount of work lost. However, you will not be happy about that. Therefore, you need to set working hours as you would normally work in the office.
Avoid spending time on non-work-related tasks such as cleaning the kitchen, preparing lunch for the kids or watching your favourite movie during working hours. This will certainly help you to get more work churned out effectively.
Your ability to get work done depends less on where you work, but more on how you work. Managing your attention is as essential when working from home as in the office. Recognizing how and when your attention is being stolen, is the first step to regaining control and moving forward. Then you can intentionally manage those distractions, use them to balance your responsibilities and facilitate positive action to do the right thing.